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2012 Marketing Jobs Outlook

Marketing professionals should see strong job growth in a number of vertical and horizontal niches in 2012. Here are some hot spots to check out.

John Rossheim, Monster Senior Contributing Writer

When it comes to marketing jobs in 2012, so much depends upon whether companies believe consumers and businesses will have the money to buy. Economic malaise may continue to limit the growth of both agencies and corporate marketing departments.

But the new year will have hot spots for marketing professionals in a number of vertical and horizontal niches. Here are some of our top picks for marketers.

Interactive, SEO, Market Research Jobs Will Grow

In 2012, leading-edge Internet technologies will again be a leading generator of marketing jobs.

Donna Farrugia charts demand for Internet marketing specialties according to the salary increases they command. “Interactive marketing managers, [as well as] SEO and SEM specialists will see some of the highest gains,” says Farrugia, executive director of The Creative Group, a staffing firm in Menlo Park, California. “Market researchers are also seeing high increases. Companies are realizing again that they have to be in touch with what customers want, and do competitive analysis.”

Marketing departments and agencies want “people who come somewhat well-rounded, who are not afraid to wrestle numbers to the ground, but [who] are also able to express themselves in writing and make recommendations intelligibly,” Chiagouris says. “They look at budgets, sales data and forecasts, and analyze which marketing media and channels are working and which aren’t.”

There’s a marketing-driven app for that, but only if organizations can mobilize the talent to churn out the content as well as the code.

“Mobile has jumped onto everyone’s radar,” says Farrugia. “All organizations need to get their content onto phones and tablets. The marketing specialists who can do that will be highly sought-after in 2012.”

Seeking to make a big impression on media-saturated young minds, marketing departments are turning to event marketing to make their brands and messaging pop.

“It’s hard to say how much we’ll grow in 2012,” says Marlena Wilmot, director of human resources at MKTG, an events-marketing agency that employs 255 people in accounts, creative, production and other marketing jobs in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Cincinnati. “But we’ll probably add about 15 people, depending on whether we land new business and if so, how big.” MKTG will likely post job openings for digital and social media strategists and digital project managers, among others.

“A lot of clients seeing the results of the 2010 Census have created a growth opportunity for marketing to the Hispanic population,” says Alain Groenendaal, CEO of Wing, a marketing communications agency in New York City with a specialty in Hispanic marketing. “In our space we seek a multicultural sensibility, people who are interested in travel abroad and in languages, though some of our staff don’t speak Spanish.”

The rapidly growing, highly interactive Hispanic market will be a leading creator of marketing jobs. “Hispanics use their cellphones, tweet, blog and download music much more than the general market,” Groenendaal says. “We grew about 50 percent in 2011; next year we’ll be looking for account, creative, planning and digital people.”

Healthcare providers -- driven by lean years to boost their higher-margin services -- will commission lots of marketing work in 2012. From cosmetic surgery to six-figure heart treatments, hospitals will count on marketing experts to bring in revenue.

“Healthcare is booming,” says Farrugia. “There’s so much outreach going on to so many different kinds of patients. Healthcare marketing is a world unto itself.”